Monthly Archives: May 2018

Commandaría is believed to be the oldest “named” wine in production today, dating back to 800 B.C. The wine, which is a sweet dessert wine, is made on the island of Cyprus. The wine was originally served by the Greeks as a festival wine, recorded by the poet Hesiod, along with the wine-making process. Commandaría is made from the Xynisteri and Mavro grapes. The grapes, which are often very ripe at harvest, are then further concentrated by sun-drying. While often a fortified wine, through its production method using ripened, sun-dried grapes, the wine often reaches high alcohol levels, around 15%, even before fortification.

The name Commandaría derives from the region where the wine is made. The area, at the foothills of the Troödos mountains, was once home to several Templar military bases, or Commanderies. After the arrest of the Templars in 1307 by King Philip the Fair, the region was subsumed by the Hospitallers, who produced and exported the wine in large quantities.

The wine achieved its greatest notoriety when King Richard the Lionhearted served the wine at his wedding to Berengaria of Navarre on May 12, 1191 in the chapel at Limassol on Cyprus. At the ceremony the king was credited with exclaiming that the wine was “the wine of kings and the king of wines.”

Today, the wine is legally allowed to be made in (14) neighboring villages: Agios Georgios, Agios Konstantinos, Agios Mamas, Agios Pavlos, Apsiou, Gerasa, Doros, Zoopigi, Kalo Chorio, Kapilio, Laneia, Louvaras, Monagri and Silikou. The designated area has assumed the name of the Commandaría Region and is located on the south facing slopes of the Troödos Mountains at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,700 feet. The region is within the larger Limassol District. Only grapes from vineyards with vines that are at least four years old are allowed. All vines are pruned in the goblet method and supplemental irrigation is prohibited. The grape harvest may only commence after the Vine Products Commission of Cyprus has given the green light, which is based on the average sugar content of the grapes.

In the beginning of 1944, the allies were being kept from capturing Rome by German army elements holding the Rapido-Gari, Liri, and Garigliano valleys. Monte Cassino, a Benedictine Abbey founded in 529AD dominated the landscape and was believed to be serving as a German lookout post. The allies dropped thousands of pounds of ordinance on the abbey in an attempt to neutralize its use. The bombing proved fruitless and actually allowed German paratroopers to set up an almost impregnable defensive position in the rubble of the monastery.

For four months the allies assaulted Monte Cassino in an attempt to remove the German blockade. Finally, on May 18, 1944, Monte Cassino fell and the flag of Poland was raised above the ruins – Poland providing the unit that finally lodged the Germans from their positions.

In tribute to the many lives that were lost in the capturing of this iconic landmark, thus enabling the allies to finally take Rome from the Nazis, I present the Monte Cassino cocktail*:

1oz. Rye Whiskey

1oz. Benedictine

1oz. Yellow Chartreuse

1oz. Lemon Juice

3/4oz. Cold Water

Shake the ingredients with crushed ice, strain and serve with a lemon twist